Sportage & Optima Bring Home the Red Dot Design Award

Kia is at it again… The 2016 Optima and 2017 Sportage both snagged a 2016 Red Dot Award for Product Design, which is one of the most prestigious international product design competitions. An independent panel of judges honored the Optima with a Best of the Best award, the competition’s highest distinction, which is only available to the most ground-breaking designs are eligible. The all new 2017 Kia Sportage was deemed the winner in product design by these esteemed judges.

These new prizes have seen both models defending their Red Dot Awards – both the previous generations of the Kia Sportage and Kia Optima also received Red Dot awards in 2011, while the Optima retains its ‘Best of the Best’ prize.

The Sportage and Optima were evaluated according to the highest standards in the following categories and more:

Degree of innovation – Is the product new in itself or does it supplement an existing product with a new, desirable quality?

Durability – Have the product’s material, formal, and non-material value been designed for a long life-span?

Functionality – Does the product fulfil all requirements of handling, usability, safety, and maintenance, and does the manual explain its use in a comprehensible way

Ergonomics – Is the product adapted appropriately to the physical and, if necessary, psychological conditions of the user?

However, Kia is no stranger to the coveted Red Dot Award. In 2009 the first-generation Soul won the first award, since then Kia’s design teams have achieved a total of 15 Red Dot Awards. Now, in 2016, every model in the current Kia line-up has a Red Dot. This is a true statement of quality of vehicle that Kia is committed to producing.

Both the Sportage and Optima come with highly efficient engines and can be filled to the brim with leading technology and safety features. They both have a long list of awards and share the 2016 IIHS Top Safety Pick+. Click to learn more about the 2016 Optima and 2017 Sportage.